Lucky Seven Compete for Berth in Curling Trials

Last season’s top seven women’s teams have qualified for the right to play for the championship title at the 2012 Capital One Canada Cup of Curling November 28-December 2 in Moose Jaw.

Jennifer Jones (Photo CCA/Michael Burns)

Along with the Capital One Canada Cup crown, the prestigious event comes with direct entry for the women’s and men’s winners to the 2013 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings – the Canadian Curling Trials – and the chance to represent our country in the 2014 Olympic Games.

The seven teams competing at the new Mosaic Place sports and entertainment complex comprise the 2011 Capital One Canada Cup champions, the winners of the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the top five finishers on the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) for the 2011-2012 season.

Defending Capital One Canada Cup champ Jennifer Jones was first to qualify for the elite field. It was the second Canada Cup title for Jones, a four-time champion at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and winner of the 2008 Ford World Women’s Curling Championship hosted by Vernon.

A victory by Alberta’s Heather Nedohin at the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Red Deer earned the team its berth in the Capital One Canada Cup. They followed it up with a bronze medal at the Ford World Women’s Curling Championship. The 1996 Canadian and world junior curling champion also has a Scotties gold and world bronze to her credit from the 1998 season when she played third for Cathy King.

The Sherry Middaugh team played their way to the number three CTRS standing. In seven appearances at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Ontario veteran has turned in four bronze medal performances.

A fourth place CTRS finish for Cathy Overton-Clapham brings her team to Moose Jaw. In 12 trips to the Scotties throwing third, she has five championship titles, four with Jennifer Jones and another with Connie Laliberte. She also skipped the Manitoba entry in the 2011 Scotties.

Heather Nedohin (Photo CCA/Michael Burns)

Stefanie Lawton – winner of the Capital One Canada Cup in 2010 and 2008 – held fifth place in CTRS rankings. Lawton has represented Saskatchewan twice at the Scotties and was gold medalist at the 2000 World Junior Women’s Curling Championship.

A strong contender on the competitive circuit, Chelsea Carey was in sixth spot at the conclusion of the 2011-2012 season. The Manitoba skip has curled to the finals of the provincial Scotties playdowns the past two years, losing to Overton-Clapham in 2011 and Jones in 2012.

The seventh spot goes to Crystal Webster who is also number seven in CTRS rankings. With the depth of talent on Alberta’s curling scene, Webster is still waiting for her first shot at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts – coming close in 2011 with an appearance in the championship final of the provincial playdowns.

Stay tuned to the Capital One Canada Cup website for weekly profiles showcasing all the men’s and women’s teams competing in the championship.

“You Gotta Be There” to see the very best teams in competitive curling hit the ice in Moose Jaw’s Mosaic Place to fight for the right to hoist the 2012 Capital One Canada Cup. With a sell-out on the horizon, you’d better get your tickets soon! They’re available now just by clicking here.